Improvement in pianos



N- PETERS, PHOTD-IUTHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTDN. D C.

dniieil States aient ctiljlr.

Letters Patent N 106,612, (lated August 23, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIANOS.

TheSchedule referred to in these' Letters Patent and making part of the same I, SAMUEL lV. PARKER, of Somerville., in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in the Construction and Arrangement of Piano-Fortes, ol' which the following is a specification.

llhe first part of my invention relates to an arrangement by which the strokes of the hammer on certain nodes or points where the clang of the string, or the overtones which appear when the strings arc struck by the hammer, will all harmonize with the fundamental note.

` The second part of my invention relates to the construction and arrangement ol' the bridges, as described below.

The third part of my invention l'elates to a bass sounding-board, or lower sounding-board, located under and at the right of' the keys, constructed as described below.

The fourth part of my invention relates tot-he coustruction of the upper or treble soundingfboard.

By means of these points I obtain an immense power and great purity of tone.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a plan ofmy piano, showing the position of the strings, upper sounding-board, bridges, frame, &c.

Figure 2 is a plan of the lower or bass soundingboard, showing its position in the piano, &c.

Figure 3 is a section of my piano.

Figure 4 is a section of the bridge d.

Figure 5 is an elevation ofthe brass plate a.

Figure 6 is a section of' one of the bridges ou the sounding-board.

In figure 1- c is the frame of the piano.

b is a flange, which is a part of the frame/a.

cl and c2 are the bass-pin block-bridges.

d, d?, and di are the treble-pin block-bridges.

c, c2, e, e4, and c are the bridges, which are placed ou the treble or upper sounding-board.

d is'a bridge, connected by posts (lig S) with the lower or bass sounding-board.

K is the treble soumiing-board.

'al and -n'l are barrings across the treble soundingboard.

In the first part of my invention, the arrangement and plan of this scale brings the stroke of the hammers o uniformly throughout the scale, upon that point or node of each string, where the clang of the string, called overtones or harmonics, all harmonize with the fundamental note, a point never before attained in the construction of the piano-forte.

The discordant overtones which appear in all pianon fortes heretofore manufactured, making it necessary to divide up those discords and spread them through the instrument, detract from the purity of tone and harmony, so desirable iu a musical instrument. In this scale those discords are all avoided, and this instrument can be tuned with perfect chords throughout. 'lhis is attained by causing the hammers to strike oueseventh or one-ninth the length of each string, from the end resting on the piu-block bridge. The oneseventh or onc-nintltis always reckoned from the stoppin, that being the point where the vibration commences. The pin-block bridges are represented by cl c"- d (li ll.

My method ot' attaining this most accurately isy by making each section of the piano, bridges, and hammer perfectly straight. el, for example, is perfectly straight. The same is true of 6"' di d2 d ll; also e, ci, ci, 04,01 and c.

In my instrument, I usually piace the hammers so that they will strike the strings one-seventh ot' the distance from the stop-pins on the pin-block bridges cl and c?, and one-ninth the distance from the stoppins on the pin-block bridges d, di, and d, the former being connected with the bass-strings and the latter with the treble-strings.

Piano-forte makers now do not have any tixed point for the hammers to strike, and it is au acknowledged fact thata piano has never been built which can bc tuned with perfect chords.

I claim that my piano has and will accomplish this result.

It will be understood that, in my tirst claim, which I consider a very important one, there is a vast distinction between striking apiano-t'orte string from oneseventh to one-ninth of' the length, and striking it at exactly cnc-seventh or exactly one-ninth ot'its length. The former is done every day iu every piano; the latter, I believe, has never been attempted. Prot. John Tyndall, in his work ou sound, speaks ot' the former, but not oi' the latter.

ll'ith regard to the second part of my invention, in the arrangement and construction of the bridges, one. thing is ot'great importance to secure power, brilliaucy, and purity of tone, viz: rinuess at the point where the. vibration of the strings is made to stop.

In order to secure this firmness at the treble, a solid brass platelsce iig. 5) is used, extending nearly onehalt' the way down .the scale, secured tirmly to the pin-block bridgcsd2 and d, and blocks underneath, the strings passing through small holes in this plate (sec tig. 5.) 0u leaving this plate the strings pass over raised bridges e2 @Band ci, receiving thc pressure oiA two other pins, thus producing a brilliancy and power of ione never before equalled in this part ofthe pianoforte` All the pin-block bridges that do not rest ou the sounding-board are made highest at the stop-piu, and concave at the center, and sloping at the back part of the bridge, (see fig. 4.)

With regard to the third part of my invention, which is well represented in tig. 2

g is the bass or lower sounding-board, located under and at the side of the keys; h1 h2 h3 h* are their barrings, stretching across the 'soum'liug-board, thus keeping the board straight and uniform in its position, and giving the greatest possible vibrating power.

There are barrings on the underside ot'the soumiiuglboard g, exactly opposite those on 'the upper side.

I usually make the outside bari-ings h4 and hl about twice as thick as the inside ones. The usual custom now is tomake very thicl burr-ings only on one side ofthe board.

f,f, and 3 are the fo'uudz'ttions for the key-frame.

The bass sounding-hoard g is glued to the front :md back, p, ofthe piano, and by one point, y, only to the end. 1t does notreach to the other ends, B.

The bass strings and bridge cq rest` on the bass sounding-board g, thus relieving the treble soundingboard k ofthe weight of the bass strings.

rlhe treble sounding-board k has also thin bari-ings yn1 n2 on the upper and under sides, similar to the barrings h1 h2 h3 h4 on the bass soumling-board.

The two sounding-boards g and k are connected by sounding-posts on and l, (figs. 2 and 3,) placed in di'erent positions, as the case ma)` be, between the boards, thus imparting a rich and uniform tone throughout the instrument.

Both soumling-boards are sized with coatings of glue, whiehgreatly increases their-elasticity and power to aid the strings in their vibrations, as proved byae* tual experiment.

I claim as my invention- 1. The bridges and hammers cI c2 e1 c* all (l2 al d* el e e3 e, arranged in sections of straight lines, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The bridge, of the shape shown in fig. 4, concave and sloping at the back, in eombinatiou'witb the brass plate u, shaped as described, and for the purpose set forth. l

3. A sounding-board, with the thin barringsn u2 and h1 hh h4 h5, on both sides of the sounding-boards, said soumling-boards being sized with coatin gs of glue, for the purpose above described.

4. I claim the bass sounding-board g, with the thin bai-rings, and glue sized, constructed and arranged substantially in the manner' above described.

SAML. W. PARKER.

Witnesses:

HARTsHonN, H. W.

WILLIAMS; 

